According to reports in French publication Le10sport [via Mirror Sport], the 22-year-old was on United manager Louis van Gaal’s list of targets during the recent window, but opted against making a bid due to his pursuit of teammate Sergio Ramos.

It remains to be seen whether or not Los Blancos are willing to do any business with their Premier League counterparts in the near future following the fallout from the David De Gea transfer saga, which fell through on deadline day.

The Spaniard looked set to move to the Santiago Bernabeu with Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas going in the opposite direction, however, the paperwork arrived 28 minutes late at the La Liga headquarters last Monday and a deal could not be completed [via Sky Sports].

A move for Varane would certainly bolster van Gaal’s options at the back as the youngster is widely regarded as one of the finest emerging defenders in European football and is expected to play a major role for the France national team at next summer’s major tournament on home soil.